Guardiola had Piqué spied on

Pep Guardiola's obsession to ensure that his players were at their very best led him to use a private detective agency, called Método 3, to monitor Gerard Piqué's private life, according to reports in Spanish newspaper 'El Confidencial'.

"The Método 3 detective agency spied on FC Barcelona players under orders from the then director of Security and now director general of Penitentiary Services for the Generalitat (autonomous government of Catalonia), Xavier Martorell", says the report.

"During the time that Pep managed the 'Azulgranas' first team he developed a good understanding and friendship with Martorell, who willingly helped Guardiola to be informed at all times", adds the report.

Guardiola even phoned the landlines of some of his stars to find out if they were, in fact, at home as they should be.

The prying into Piqué's life increased in intensity after the start of his romance with Shakira. The detectives discovered that one of his favourite haunts was a boozer close to the Barça facilities, which he used to frequent fairly often with a group of friends, and that some nights he returned to his parents' house, in the Sant Just Desvern area, after 2 o'clock in the morning.